Setting Up Business
-
Plans for a New Web Site
My sincere apologies to you if you have been trying to access the blog or web site lately without any luck. I’ve been having some major difficulties with my hosting provider Network Solutions. For months now, since I’ve been developing this site, I’ve noticed that the response from the server was often very slow. Pages on the web site were slow to load and sometimes I got an error with no page load at all. I kept working on the development, thinking that I should call the Network Solutions Customer Service and someone would work it out with me. Well, I didn’t quite get the response I expected. I called…
-
Finding and hiring a technical editor for self published knitting patterns
Before I start today, let me say that if you are interested in pattern writing you really need to click on over to Craftsy.com right now and sign up for 2 classes on writting patterns that are Amazing! The one I’m going to refer to in this post is How to Say It: Pattern Writing for Knitters by Edie Eckman Description Learn the keys to communicating your one-of-a-kind knit designs in How to Say It: Pattern Writing for Knitters. Author, teacher and technical editor Edie Eckman presents an insider’s guide to clearly communicating knitting patterns to editors, publishers and fellow knitters. It was in this class that I learned that,…
-
Mini Etsy
A little update on what for sale in my Etsy shop. These items are also available at Nancy Elizabeth Designs Web Site What’s up at the Etsy Shop?
-
Handspun Yarns are on the Site
Still working on the patterns. I`ve got a bit knit on the Adult Hoodie and it`s going to be amazing. The Patterns are posted to the Nancy Elizabeth Designs web site and Etsy and Craftsy. I am just getting my Ravelry `Yarnies“ account set up. When that is ready I`ll put the handspun on Ravelry. The thing I`ve been really working hard at this week is getting a chart made for the handspun yarns. I`m going to try something different. I want to spin the yarn to order Custom Made Handspun Yarn. I need to know, first, what all of the specs are for each yarn weight like yards per…
-
Bookkeeping
I haven’t posted for a few days because I’ve been trying to figure out how to download transactions from Paypal to Quickbooks. Well, it’s not going to happen using only the Paypal downloads. it’s just not robust enough. Firstly, I am in Canada so my main accounting currency is Canadian but most of my sales and expenses are in USD. Paypal allows me multicurrency within my account as does Quickbooks but the download doesn’t work. We don’t even have our date formatted the same way and the month and day are reversed when they come in among various other issues related to currency. There is no way of associating a…
-
Goals
Today I will set myself some goals to reach before I can begin the promotions because I’m confindent that these promotions will get things moving quickly and I want to be ready. Goal time: September for knitters, November for gifts (Christmas Shopping) 15+ – Finished Handknit Projects online for sale 10+ – Handspun Luxury Natural Fibre Yarns with colour choices 3+ – Original Design Knitting Patterns – Simply Elegant Kits for all of the Knitting Patterns to buy All Projects, Yarns and Patterns Posted on Ravelry, Etsy, Craftsy, Facebook and Web Site.
-
Knitting Pattern Designs
I have decided that there will be no problem selling handknits or handspun yarns once I get started. People need to see and feel how special the knitwear and yarns are and know how easy it is to get help from a real person who is the artist and designer. Before I can promote the site I need some handspun yarns and some pattern downloads to be available. My next project will be to spin a variety of handspun luxury fiber yarns and put them up on Etsy and the Web site and to use these yarns to re-knit some of my designs. I’ll take lots of pictures and write…
-
Selling on Etsy tips
I’ve only been on Etsy for a couple of weeks but here’s a few things that I have discovered so far. I paid for the advertising for a week as an experiment. Although I did not keep accurate data I did discover from the charts of hits and favorites that I got more favorites and visits when I put up new products. That seems to be the best way to get your shop on the front pages… better than the advertising. The week of advertising did not get as many visits as putting up a few new products did. Somehow, listing the items puts you back at the top of…
You May Also Like
Knitting Pattern Designs
Selling Handmade Stuff, working out some answers
What Fun
-
Reputation and Time
I am beginning to realize that it will take some time and work to get my designs out there so that people can actually see them, feel them, wear them and talk to each other about them. I have no doubt that once a few people aquire my work my business will be growing quickly by word of mouth. They will recommend me to others and I will have more work than I can keep up with. When this happened to me a few years ago I had orders backed up for more than 6 months and ended up just giving up in frustration. I was afraid to take custom…
-
More Updating
I’ve been working on putting up some “Share” buttons on the web site and updating some of the Social Sites. I am trying to remember to Tweet about new products as they go up as well as add them to my Facebook page. I now have about 16 Original handknit and handspun projects on Craftsy, Etsy and for sale on the Nancy Elizabeth Designs website. I will be adding these as projects on my Ravelry as soon as I have the patterns written up and ready for sale as I would like to like the project to the pattern if I can.
